Embattled former City of Bertram police chief J.J. Wilson has agreed to reimburse the city for a $1,000 deductible to acquire a new police cruiser that he's been charged with crashing in October.

Wilson and the city also reached a separation agreement, officially ending his employment with the northeastern Burnet County town's police department and stating other conditions by which he's expected to abide.

As per the separation agreement, Wilson has agreed to accept a separation designation of general discharge. This is one step below an honorable discharge.

Wilson had been on unpaid leave, following Oct. 2 grand jury indictments for felony perjury and misdemeanor official oppression charges (for which he was released from the Burnet County Jail on a $1,500 surety bond).

Burnet County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday, Dec. 11, to begin the process of obtaining $2.5 million in 2019 tax anticipation notes to fund a number of projects, including $1.6 million for upgrades to the Burnet County Jail and 9-1-1 dispatching.

Also included is $425,000 that would help the county begin making upfront payments on planning, surveying and engineering for a new Wirtz Dam Road bridge crossing as part of an advanced funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), which commissioners also approved at their regular meeting.

Embattled former City of Bertram police chief J.J. Wilson has agreed to reimburse the city for a $1,000 deductible to acquire a new police cruiser that he's been charged with crashing in October.

Wilson and the city also reached a separation agreement, officially ending his employment with the northeastern Burnet County town's police department and stating other conditions by which he's expected to abide.

As per the separation agreement, Wilson has agreed to accept a separation designation of general discharge. This is one step below an honorable discharge.

Wilson had been on unpaid leave, following Oct. 2 grand jury indictments for felony perjury and misemeanor official oppression charges (for which he was released from the Burnet County Jail on a $1,500 surety bond).

The Burnet High School freshman basketball team brought home the gold after a tournament in Jarrell on Saturday, Dec. 8. The team placed first in front of Jarrell, Hyde Park, and Lago Vista High Schools.

Over the Thanksgiving break, the Burnet High School cheer team competed at the UCA Southwest Regional Championships. The team placed third in Game Day Coed Division as the only 4A school in their division, and placed third behind two 6A coed teams. The BHS cheer team also competed in the NCA State of Texas Championships on Sunday, Dec. 9 in Dallas, and the will compete in the UIL Texas State Spirit Championships on Friday, Jan. 18

Spirit, Pride and Honor means a lot of things, including being the very best at everything we do in Burnet CISD. Last year, Burnet CISD earned five state championships in UIL Social Studies, UIL Current Issues and Events, FFA Wildlife, FFA Forage and 110 Meter Hurdles. This year, the Esprit de Corps made it to the UIL State Marching Competition placing 18th out of 165 4A bands across the state, and on Saturday 24 band members earned a seat with the All Region Band. The Board of Trustees and administration is committed to continuous improvement in academics and extracurricular offerings. With that goal in mind, the administration is making several staffing adjustments for the 2019-2020 school year in the areas of curriculum, instruction and athletics.

Residents and representatives of the Highland Lakes paused this week to reflect on and remember the life of the late former President George Herbert Walker Bush, who died Nov. 30 at the age of 94.

A national day of mourning was observed Wednesday, Dec. 5, as the 41st president was honored during a funeral service at the National Cathedral Washington, D.C., with President Donald Trump and all four surviving former presidents in attendance.

A second funeral service was held Thursday, Dec. 6, at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston before his coffin was transported by train to College Station, where he was to be buried on the grounds of his presidential library at Texas A&M, next to his wife Barbara, who died at age 92 in April, and their daughter, Robin, who died of leukemia at age 3 in 1953.

After wrapping up her responsibilities for the November 2018 general election, Donna Holland Wilcox stepped down as chairwoman of the Burnet County Republican Party after being elected to three terms since 2014.

“It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve my community in this capacity,” said Wilcox. “My commitment when elected in 2014 was to bring cohesiveness to the Burnet County Republican Party, increase awareness, and implement programs to get more people involved. I’m proud of the official work that the executive committee has done and of the amazing volunteers and activist who have successfully supported conservative candidates and causes across Burnet County and the Central Texas region.”

At a special meeting called by the Burnet County Republican Party executive committee, its members unanimously appointed Kara Chasteen to serve out the remainder of Wilcox’s two-year term, ending in June 2020.